


Sweet Revenge

by GarnetSeren



Series: Hermione's Hijinks [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dramione if you squint, Established Relationship, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Humor, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Possibly Unrequited Love, Revenge, Young Love, accidental confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2019-07-24 21:39:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16183700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GarnetSeren/pseuds/GarnetSeren
Summary: Hermione drummed her fingers on the wooden library table, slowly reading the article for a second time. She noticed that Harry had gone very still beside her, probably waiting for her to suddenly explode. Fred and George were also watching her anxiously, and Ron had taken sitting as far away from her as possible. Ginny and Luna had made some vaguely reassuring remarks during Hermione's first read through, but they both kept their distance. The only person who was brave enough to touch her was Neville, who'd tentatively placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she neared the end of the article, but even he seemed nervous.However, instead of losing it like her friends evidently expected her to, Hermione calmly folded up the newspaper and took a moment to smile at the gathered group. A slow, feline type of smile that didn't quite meet her eyes, but promised hell for the hapless person who thought to cross her... Rita Skeeter didn't stand a chance.*This is an edited/updated version of a oneshot I wrote in 2018*





	1. Game

Hermione drummed her fingers on the wooden library table, slowly reading the article for a second time. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Harry had gone very still beside her, probably waiting for her to suddenly explode. Fred and George were also watching her anxiously, and Ron had taken sitting as far away from her as possible. Ginny had made some vaguely reassuring remarks during Hermione's first read through, as had her new friend Luna, but they both kept their distance as well. The only person who was brave enough to touch her was Neville, who'd tentatively placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she neared the end of the article, but even he seemed nervous.

However, instead of losing it like her friends evidently expected her to, Hermione calmly folded up the newspaper and took a moment to smile at the gathered group. A slow, feline type of smile that didn't quite meet her eyes, but promised hell for the hapless person who thought to cross her. Now was not the time to rage and shout, it was the time to plan, and if there was one thing Hermione excelled at above all else, it was planning.

So after reading the article, instead of getting angry like her friends obviously expected, Hermione calmly and quietly left them in the library, and went to find the person she felt most deserved an explanation. If her calculations of his character were correct, she expected that despite his stoic nature, Viktor would be the least likely person to jump to wild conclusions. And true to form, the often imposing Bulgarian had only launched his questions after hearing her out first, and started off by asking if she was alright. Actually, he'd only agreed to hear Hermione's plan once he was convinced she was alright. But once she'd explained her idea, Viktor gave that small lopsided smile of his and raised her hand to his lips, softly kissing her knuckles. In a surprisingly gentle tone, the Durmstrang star assured her he'd do anything he could to help his 'Minny'.

So a few days later when Luna floated by to hand Hermione a circulating copy of the Prophet, she eagerly flipped through the pages to find Rita Skeeter's latest fabrications, and nearly spat out her pumpkin juice at the hilarity of:

**Titillating Triwizard Trysts – Viktor Krum reveals his shocking rendezvous with not only Hermione Granger, but also his competition and love rival Harry Potter. Mr Krum, of international Quiddich fame, revealed that he and Ms Granger have shared “many an exciting evening together” with Mr Potter.**

Unable to continue reading because of her laughter, Hermione glanced over her shoulder trying to spot Viktor. To her surprise, and quiet delight, the dark eyed Seeker was already making his way over to the Gryffindor table. Ginny obligingly budged up to make way for him, and Viktor wasted no time in giving Hermione the customary kiss to her knuckles, even as he reached around her back with his free hand, to clasp Harry companionably on the shoulder.

“This does not overstep your plan I hope, Minny?” Viktor asked, his voice rich and heavily accented. 

Hermione squeezed his fingers as she smiled up at him warmly. “No, it's perfect.”

 


	2. Set

Unsurprisingly, Fred and George were  _ outraged  _ Hermione hadn't gone to them first, and promised they'd do their best to add to the sensation surrounding her and Harry's... and Viktor's... supposed relationship. However, what was unexpected was both Cedric and Cho approaching Hermione a little later on, and asking if there was anything they could do to help; the latter even complimenting her on how well she was handling the media attention. 

So a few days after Viktor's supposed interview was published, two separate sensational stories ran in the Prophet. One revealing the sordid exploits of Harry Potter and the Weasley twins, who seemed to have included as many puns and innuendos in their 'exclusive interview' about their being with Harry “at the same time”. The second was a 'tearful expose' from Cho Chang, revealing that she suspected Cedric of spending time alone with Harry in the prefects' bathroom, where Rita Skeeter had helpfully added:

**Young Mr Diggory declined to comment on the nature of his relationship with Mr Potter, however a source close to the pair revealed that the Hogwarts champions “liked to help each other out”.**

Two days later, an article ran featuring a collection of surprise on the spot 'interviews', where the peroxide blonde had ambushed those identified as being close to Harry... since it seemed the so-called journalist had forgotten about Hermione, at least for the time being, in her quest for juicy gossip. The piece included a picture of a dreamy looking Luna and a surprised looking Neville, the former stating that Harry was “always very kind and gentle with us”, and the latter nodding his agreement. This was accompanied bye quotes from Seamus and Dean, who'd declined having their pictures taken, but insisted that “thanks to Harry, we figured out we're gay”.

There was even a photo of the old Gryffindor Quiddich captain; Olive Wood, who'd apparently revealed that Harry could “ride more than just a broom”. It was accompanied by a slightly blurry photo of some of the current house team, though Angelina Johnson was clearly recognisable, and was quoted as 'gushing' about how skilled Harry was; a sentiment that was echoed by Katy Bell. However, there was a photo of a figure with her back to the camera, who had a sheet of long auburn hair that looked suspiciously like Ginny from behind. The unknown young woman had been overheard saying: “Harry being able to catch the snitch in his mouth is no coincidence”. A statement that had gotten the most raucous laughter from most of the older members of the student body, when Fred had decided to read the article aloud at the dinner table.

 


	3. Match

Over the next few weeks, as an unexpected bonus from the whole tabloid incident, Hermione had discovered what an unexpectedly caring soul Viktor was. The Bulgarian had not only convinced some of his Durmstrang compatriots to also drop 'hints' about nights spent with Harry, but had even managed to get the Beauxbatons' champion to issue a small statement, once Skeeter asked if she'd also spent time  _ alone  _ with the Boy Who Lives. Fluer had stated: “But of course, 'arry is so lovely”, before suggesting that all four of the champions often spent evenings together. So it was safe to say that three weeks after the original article was published, the whole affair was looking more and more farcical than it already was. However, the true icing on the proverbial cake came from the most unlikely of sources.

Malfoy of all people had sidled up to Hermione in the library one evening, trying his best not to make it obvious he was actually talking to her. At first she'd been rightly suspicious, after all they hardly had a good track record. However she relented and agreed to hear him out, but only after Malfoy revealed that Rita Skeeter had recently published an uncomplimentary article about his mother, and he was desperate for some pay back. So perhaps against her better judgement, Hermione relented to his offer of help, though tact on a warning about making his statement as vague but believable as possible. Shockingly, Malfoy didn't disappoint.

The Prophet's last article on the subject featured what promised to be a truly sensational exposé on not only Harry's love life, but Hermione's as well. She'd initially blanched at that revelation, though stoically kept reading; helped by the fact Viktor had been beside her, stroking his calloused thumb across her knuckles. But by the end of it, Hermione couldn't help grinning, and despite thinking Malfoy was generally a horrid little weasel, she was sorely tempted to give the git a damned hug.

There was a fully page dedicated to the supposed steamy affair between the trio, which actually stated that Viktor was merely a friend who'd stepped in to 'throw' people off, since Malfoy's blood status meant he  _ couldn't _ associate with muggle-borns. There was a dramatic but lamenting tone to the article, which focused more on Hermione and Malfoy's apparent 'star crossed romance', and cited the Slytherin as saying: “She is everything I could ever want in a woman. Brains, wit, understated beauty.” 

And when question why he referred to her with either her surname of derogatory words, Malfoy stated: “It pains me to hurl insults at her, but I... we... have to keep up appearances to hide our romance. The only reason I'm coming forward now, announcing my love for her, is because I'm a very jealous person. I don't want anyone to think she belongs with anyone but me. And she will always be Granger to me, until she's a Malfoy.”

Truthfully, Hermione thought he'd laid it on a little thick, though she supposed the people who genuinely read the Prophet as a source of news would lap it up. It helped that he'd also hinted about some passionate nights that had included Harry, and suggested that not all of them had involved Hermione. Though the piece-de-resistance was probably a quote from Professor Snape, who was apparently quoted as drawling: “Oh... those three. Yes... they're often at each other. I dare say the whole school has heard them carrying on.”

From then on, all Hermione had to do was sit back about watch the glorious fallout. She'd had one more covert conversation with Malfoy, who'd informed her that his father had already been angered over Skeeter's article on Mrs Malfoy, but was now of the war path and demanding the journalist's immediate resignation... which was apparently just for starters. Hermione didn't much care for whatever else Mr Malfoy planned to do, but she managed a pleasant and actually genuine 'thank you' to his son.

And as the month drew to a close, Hermione was pleased to see the whole thing had blown over. The continuous 'revelations' had truly thrown the original article's credibility into doubt, and she had to admit Malfoy had helped with hammering the final nail in the coffin. So it was with a sense of satisfaction that she settled her hand into the crook of Viktor's elbow as they walked out of the school grounds, pleased with the knowledge that they could now go out in public without glancing over their shoulders, which meant Hermione finally had the chance to lead him towards Hogsmeade for their very belated second date.

 


End file.
